In an earlier patent assigned to the assignee of the present invention, namely U.S. Pat. No. 4,249,522 issued Feb. 10, 1981, there is disclosed the construction of a hydro massage bathtub for domestic and therapeutic applications. In that patent, air jets are formed in the sidewall and end walls of the bathtub and a cavity is provided in a backrest portion of the tub to provide a massage to the bather's back. Such a massage bathtub has been found advantageous over other forms of massaging bathtubs where water and air is released through nozzles contained at strategic locations in the sidewalls or bottom wall of a bathtub. Other forms of massaging bathtubs where air only is released within the tub are known and again the air is released through nozzles usually mounted in the bottom wall of the tub. The problem with such massaging tub construction is that the treatment by water massage is not uniform over the body of a bather sitting in the bathtub and causes skin and muscular irritation in localized areas of the body due to the pressure of the water displaced by the jets and the proximity of the jet nozzles to the body of the bather sitting in the tub. Another disadvantage is that the air is not heated and when released in a hot tub it causes discomfort and could also cause muscle contraction and spasm.
Today people are more sensitive to their well-being and therefore pay more attention to their health due to this awareness of its importance on their quality of life. They are determined to maintain and enhance their physical condition and are seeking simple, efficient and personalized solutions to meet their health objectives. There is therefore a need to provide a hydro massaging bathtub which can meet these objectives and wherein natural products can be added to the water contained within the tub.